St. David’s Welsh Society of the Suncoast SUMMER 2018 welshsocietyofthesuncoast.org Nancy Mellican, editor SUMMER SCHEDULE BEGINS RHIANON HARDY CELEBRATES 99 For the summer we will meet at noon on the A lovely Welsh lady proudly third Saturday at various spots around the coun- celebrated her 99th birthday ty. Mark your calendars now. at a surprise party orga- nized by her friends at the May 19—Heritage Village Picnic Shelter Sarasota Welsh Society. N. 11909 125th St, Largo, FL She and her husband Pat Brown Bag picnic and gymanfa ganu have been long time sup- porters of both the Sarasota June 16—Safety Harbor Spa Welsh Society and our own 105 N Bayshore Dr, Safety Harbor, FL organization here in Pinel- las County. Until recent July 21—Roosterfish Grill years, attending meetings in both places. Born 776 Missouri Ave N, Largo, FL in Wales, she has never lost her pride in her heritage or her lovely Welsh accent. She and August 18—Raven Brew Pub Pat have made regular trips back to Wales to 2535 E Bay Dr, Largo, FL visit family and attend the national Eisteddfod. September 18—Alfanos Restaurant 1702 Clearwater Largo Rd N, Clearwater, FL Dinner on 3rd Tuesday at 5:00 EVERYONE INVITED WHAT’S IN A NAME? CROESO RHIANON From Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology LAST NEWSLETTER UNTIL FALL According to Wikipedia, the name Rhianon or Rhiannon is probably derived from the old Celt- This will be the last newsletter until the fall. ic name Rigantona meaning "great queen". It is Please make note of all speculated that this was the name of an other- dates and meeting places. wise unattested Celtic goddess of fertility and the moon. The name Rhiannon appears later in Welsh legend in the Mabinogion, borne by the wife of Pwyll and the mother of Pryderi. Ac- cording to BabyName Wizard, Rhiannon is an exceptionally strong personality who cleverly plans and gets what she wants in life. She also TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was has a deeply loyal and loving marriage. Does football’s first “superstar” and oldest this sound like anyone we know? international player? REGULAR MEETINGS RESUME IN OCTOBER Regular meetings of the St. David’s Welsh Socie- ty of the Suncoast are now held at noon on the May 1 Trina Laruccia third Tuesday of the month from October to 19 Mavis Lamont April at St. Dunstan’s Anglican Church. A pot- luck luncheon and program entertain all persons June 8 Betty Walker with an interest in celebrating Welsh heritage. We have great fun so bring a friend to socialize. July 3 Mark Taber (They do not even have to be Welsh to be wel- come.) This will be the 76th year of the existence 13 Kelfryn James of the St. David’s Welsh Society of the Suncoast. 13 Tegwyth Alderson-Taber Not many can equal that record 15 Todd Roberts 23 Wendy Whitaker Directions: Turn east off Indian Rocks Road onto 25 Amy Ferrell Dryer Ave. (2 blocks north of Largo Indian Rocks 30 Vera Ruben Medical Center). Go 2 blocks then turn north on Pine St. Go one block to Sunny Breeze Ave. Church will be in front of you. We look forward to August 7 Cindy Durkee seeing you there. 16 Dave Thomas 21 Cathy Reed P.S. Do not confuse with another St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church located elsewhere in Largo. September 5 Pamela Lewis 12 Jean James LAST NEWSLETTER UNTIL 19 Paul Mellican FALL—PLEASE MAKE NOTE 23 Laura Gentry OF SUMMER MEETING 25 Wendy Kearns TIMES AND PLACES. May 22 Sandra and John Mallozzi June 12 Paul and Nancy Mellican 15 Gareth and Donna Williams August 10 Mark and Kristy Alderson-Taber 11 Andy and Vickie Anderson ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION: Billy Mere- dith from Chirk played for Manchester city and Manchester United. He was football’s first me- dia personality from any country with personal appearances and product endorsements. In 1920 he played against England aged almost 40. On the right wing, he still scored nearly 500 goals in his career. SEVEN WONDERS OF WALES If you search online for '7 wonders Wales' you will come across a rhyme taught in primary school: Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple Snowdon's mountain without its people Overton yew trees, St Winefride's well Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells. The writer was that well-known poet Anonymous. Perhaps he/she was English, but what is certain is that in exploring Wales, Anonymous seems to have failed to discover Mid and South Wales. 1. Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall The first wonder is Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall , near Llanrhaedr-ym- Mochnant. The waterfall can be found at the end of a very rural drive into the Welsh Marches and through locations for the film "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain ". The road from Llanrhaedr-ym-Mochnant is single track with passing places, which means that it is best avoided if you don't have much patience or are poor at re- versing. There is a charge for the car park for the falls, but you can park on the side of the road before you get to it (if you manage to find a space). At 74 metres, Pistyll Rhaeadr is the highest waterfall in both Eng- land and Wales and is fed by plentiful water from the Berwyn Hills. If you wish, you can take a footpath to the top of the waterfall. 2. St Giles' Church, Wrexham St Giles' Church , Wrexham makes it to the list due to its Steeple, which is in fact a tower. Along with the towering concrete Wrexham Police building, it is visible from all around the town. There is even a half-size replica of the tower at Yale Universi- ty, which includes a stone from St Giles' tower. Just in front is the tomb of Elihu Yale - benefactor of Yale University, USA. The university now carries his name, though some cynics think that Jeremiah Dummer probably raised more funds for the university, but for some reason they chose to name it after Yale. 3. Snowdon Mountain Snowdon is the only one from this list that I personally would include in a present day version of the '7 Wonders of Wales'. The highest mountain in England and Wales stands 1,085 metres high. It can be climbed by a variety of routes, but a popu- lar one is the main path from Llanberis, if only because of the tea rooms just outside Llanberis, halfway up, and again at the summit. For other routes, you can park up and get the Sherpa buses to drop you off at Pen-y-Pass and take the Miners' or the Pyg track. There are many more, some involving scrambling or mountaineering skills and equipment. The easy way up is on the Snowdon Mountain Railway from Llanberis. Everyone getting to the summit can have have a drink or meal at the Hafod Eryri visitor centre , protected from the weather, which can be surprisingly cold up there, even in summer. 4. The Yew Trees, Overton-on-Dee Overton-on-Dee's yew trees are old, very old. The oldest are believed to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years old. However there is one that was planted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992. The tree held up by the wooden posts is the oldest. 5. St Winefride's Well, Holywell At Holywell, the wonder is a holy well . Legend has it that Winefride was be- headed when she refused to yield to a would-be rapist. Where her head struck the ground, a spring appeared. Her uncle, St Bueno, replaced her head and his prayers restored her to life. The waters have been renowned for their healing powers ever since and the site has become known as the 'Lourdes of Wales'. It is one of the few Welsh Wonders with an entrance fee, although only about £1, and includes an exhibition explaining the history of the site and even dis- plays crutches left by some of the cured pilgrims from the 19th and early 20th centuries. 6. Llangollen bridge Llangollen bridge would now not be considered exceptional, but it was the first stone bridge to span the River Dee. Built by John Trevor I, Bishop of St Asaph, or rather under his direction, it has been upgraded many times, the last time in the 1960s, but each time in keeping with the original design. It is at its most impressive when the river is high, with white water break- ing over the rocks above the bridge. Beautiful setting though. 7. Gresford Bells Gresford All Saints Church's wonder is not the church but the bells. To actually appreciate them entails a visit on a Sunday or Tuesday evening. Visit Britain PICTURE PAGES Barbara Giraldi peruses the Ninnau for pro- gram ideas. Jean James visits with another Welsh friend, Tina Laruccia looks over the words to the Welsh na- tional anthem which the group practiced singing in Welsh at the last meeting. Treasurer Roger Hughes checks the balance of the bank account. We can always count on Mary Hughes to be at a Welsh Society meet- ing. She enjoys sip- ping her tea while catching up on the news. Connie Osmulski always delights with her deli- cious offerings for lunch. Nancy Mellican keeps track of attendance. Sadly, our numbers are way down! Beautiful table decorations make dining with Welsh friends even more enjoyable. MEETING ATTENDANCE The last two meetings were very sparsely attended. It is hoped that Sum- mer Saturdays will help more people to be able to attend.